Introduction
to AWS IAM
AWS IAM (Identity and Access Management) is a powerful service
that allows businesses to securely manage access to their AWS
resources. It provides a central place to control user identities,
permissions, and security policies, ensuring the right people have
the right access.
Components of IAM
Users
IAM allows you to create
and manage individual user
accounts within your AWS
environment.
User Groups
Users can be organized into
groups based on their roles
or responsibilities, making it
easier to manage
permissions.
Roles
IAM roles define a set of
permissions that can be
assumed by users,
applications, or other AWS
services.
Policies
AWS Policies are rules that
define what actions are
allowed or denied for users
and services. Policies are
written in JSON format.
Features of IAM
1
Centralized Access
Management
IAM provides a single place to control access to all
your AWS resources.
2
Fine-Grained Permissions
IAM allows you to grant specific permissions to users,
groups, and roles, ensuring the principle of least
privilege.
3
Credential Management
IAM manages user credentials, including passwords
and access keys, making it easier to control and
rotate them.
4
Audit and Compliance
IAM provides detailed logging and reporting,
allowing you to monitor and audit access to your
AWS resources.
Authentication &
Authorization
1
Authentication
IAM verifies the identity of users, applications, or
services trying to access your AWS resources.
2
Authorization
IAM determines the specific permissions and actions
that are allowed for the authenticated entity.
3
Security Policies
IAM uses security policies to define the permissions and
access controls for your AWS resources.
What are Users?
IAM Users
IAM users are individual
identities that represent
people or applications that
need to interact with your
AWS resources.
Permissions
IAM users can be granted
specific permissions to
perform actions on AWS
resources, based on their
roles and responsibilities.
Access Keys
IAM users can be assigned
access keys, which are used
to programmatically access
AWS services and resources.
Security
IAM users are a crucial part
of maintaining security and
controlling access within
your AWS environment.
How to Create User
Create User
Log in to the AWS Management
Console and navigate to the IAM
service.
Add Permissions
Assign the appropriate
permissions to the user based
on their roles and
responsibilities.
Generate Access
Keys
Optionally, generate access keys
for the user to allow
programmatic access to AWS
resources.
Secure the User
Implement security best
practices, such as enabling multi-
factor authentication (MFA).
Access Keys &
Secret Access Key
1
Access Key
An access key is a unique identifier that is used to
make programmatic calls to AWS services.
2
Secret Access Key
The secret access key is a secret that is used in
conjunction with the access key to authenticate
requests.
3
Security
Access keys should be carefully managed and rotated
on a regular basis to maintain security.
MFA [Multi-Factor Authentication]
What is MFA?
MFA is an additional layer of security
that requires users to provide two or
more verification factors to access
AWS resources.
Why Use MFA?
MFA helps protect against
unauthorized access and reduces the
risk of security breaches, even if user
credentials are compromised.
Enabling MFA
IAM users can enable MFA by
configuring a hardware or virtual MFA
device, or by using a mobile app like
Google Authenticator.
Bringing IAM to Life
Secure User Access
Consider an e-commerce company where the team and
customer base are expanding. You need secure access for
users to your AWS resources, and IAM makes it easy.
Granular Permissions
Create individual user accounts for different roles, such as
marketing, development, and fulfillment, and assign each
account specific permissions.
This real-world example demonstrates how IAM streamlines cloud security and access management. Let's dive deeper into
the key components of IAM to unlock its full potential.
Summary
Introduction AWS IAM is a powerful service
that allows businesses to
securely manage access to
their AWS resources.
Components IAM consists of users, groups,
and roles, which can be used
to control access and
permissions.
Features IAM provides centralized
access management, fine-
grained permissions,
credential management, and
audit and compliance
capabilities.
Authentication &
Authorization
IAM handles the
authentication of users and
the authorization of their
actions on AWS resources.
Users IAM users are individual
identities that represent
people or applications that
need to interact with AWS
resources.
